Your hair is your crowning glory and can make you feel put-together and confident, so it can be alarming and upsetting if it begins to fall out. There are a number of reasons for your hair loss, such as heat styling and brushing your hair too little, which are all easily preventable.
1. Heat styling
Heat is one of the main reasons why your hair can begin to fall out. We may love them, but straightening irons, curling wands, and hairdryers can all cause breakage and ultimately cause hair loss. To prevent excess heat from damaging your hair, why not purchase heating tools that have a controllable temperature, so you can lower the amount of heat that has access to your hair.
2. Styling
Hair loss can be caused by tight ponytails and hair extensions. Both put tension on the hair shaft, which in turn damages the hair follicle causing traction alopecia (hair loss due to pulling). The best way to prevent this is to let your hair down a little more and keep it trimmed.
3. Over-dyeing
When you have your hair dyed, it is exposed to a number of different chemicals that are potentially harmful to the hair. Dyeing your hair over and over again will amplify the effects and cause your hair to snap and break. Try having a break from colouring for a few months, to see if the health of your hair returns. During this time, you can also use strengthening shampoos and conditioners and hair-conditioning treatments.
4. Lifestyle
Stress and vitamin D and B12 deficiency are also common causes of hair loss. With stress, the body attempts to raise the quantity of cortisol in the body which can distort your natural hair growth cycle. Vitamins contribute to the production of keratin, so you need these for healthy hair. Changing your diet or using supplements can help.
5. Pregnancy or menopause
Both pregnancy and menopause involve a huge change in hormones, which could be one of the reasons for your hair loss. Post-pregnancy, after having glossy skin and hair during, it can seem as though your hair is falling out more. Menopause causes the hair to become thin and light-coloured. If you are concerned, talking to a doctor can help you, as they will rule out other causes and can discuss hormone levels in detail.
6. Under-brushing
This might seem like a strange one, but we naturally lose around 120 hairs a day in order for new hairs to grow, and if you don’t brush your hair often enough these hairs remain where they are. To loosen them, get a good hairbrush and comb, using the brush for when your hair is dry and the comb for when your hair is wet, to minimise hair loss from breakage.
7. Seasonal change
The weather has a bigger effect on your hair than you may think – most problems caused are to do with lack of hydration leading to dry, brittle hair. You can avoid this cause of hair loss by getting a trim before the summer months, removing hair that is already dry, and wetting your hair before exposing it to chlorine, to create a coating.
